Senga Nengudi

The Art

"What is in a name? I propose plenty. That is why I have a different name for each medium I use."

In Black culture naming has great significance. We have been “called out of our names” so much that controlling that aspect of our lives with a B’rer Rabbit sensibility is important. Each name has personal significance. But more importantly I wanted to explore the fact that many of us fall into the trap of what an artist’s work “should” look like related to their ethnicity. An ethnic name attached to an artwork assumes us into an unconscious shorthand way of understanding the style or subject matter with expectations of what the style and subject matter should be.